


Up This Late

by TopHatCat



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: American Revolution, Fluff, Lams - Freeform, M/M, Nightmares, Nighttime, One Shot, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 01:25:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11613024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopHatCat/pseuds/TopHatCat
Summary: John has post-war nightmares but luckily for him, Alexander is up working late.





	Up This Late

_Click, boom!_

John Laurens sat up with a gasp, wildly looking around before his brain was even fully awake. The British were here!  How could they have found the camp?  His friends-where were his friends!

When his mind finally caught up with his instincts, he found himself viewing a bedroom, not the inside of a tent, listening to the sound of faint crickets, not gunshots and cannon booms.  Drawing his hands down his face he took in a deep shuddering breath.  Tossing back the covers, he quickly went to the window and opened it, noticing his shaking hands as he lifted the pane.  Sticking his head out, he inhaled the cool fall air and sighed, relaxing as the dream faded.

 _‘I’ll never get any rest if I keep having these nightmares,’_ he thought dejectedly, pushing his loose curly hair from his eyes.

It had been nearly a month since the war had officially ended.  The troops were finishing up their last rounds around the colonies, gathering up lingering British troops and shipping them back to England.  George Washington was busy figuring out what to do next; Congress had asked him to be the nation’s new leader.  He and Alexander Hamilton had moved to a house that had previously been a base, to organize things before returning to New York.  Hamilton had asked Laurens, suffering from a bullet wound to the side he had received in Combahee, to join them while continuing his own work against slavery.  Laurens had agreed, happy to have a place amongst friends to recover.

But while the wound was healing, his mind was not.  He hadn’t had a proper night’s rest since the war ended, and he dreaded going to bed each night.

Now he tried to focus on the moonlit yard below.  As his gaze wandered over the grass and bushes, he noticed something.  Light, coming from one of the ground floor windows.

“Alexander,” he sighed, recognizing the location as his friend’s office.  “What are you doing up at this hour?”

Suddenly he was glad Alexander was up. He wasn’t alone in the dark after all. Sliding his feet into his slippers, he left his room, heading down the hallway to the stairway.  Taking the steps down he reached the entry hall.  Light shone from underneath a door off the main room and John walked over to it quietly.  Rapping lightly on the wood, he turned the handle and peeked in.

Sitting at the desk inside was Alexander, quill in hand and papers spread out before him.  As usual. He didn’t look up and John wasn’t surprised he hadn’t heard the knock.  Alexander was beyond anything else when he was writing.  He probably wouldn’t have noticed if John had knocked with a battering ram.

Entering the room, John wandered over the desk and the movement finally caught Alexander’s attention.  Looking up, he blinked at John, leaving the land of words in his head to process the real world.

“John? What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same,” John answered.  “You’re working too late again.”

“I’m trying to figure out the government, John,” Alexander answered dryly. “We’ve never actually had a real leader of our own before beside the King.”

“I know, I know,” John said.  He leaned against the desk with a wince.  His side was acting up again.  He hoped Alexander wouldn’t notice, but the other man’s sharp gaze noted the difference in posture at once.

“Is your side alright? Is that why you’re up?  It’s not hurting a lot again, is it?”

John shook his head, smiling at the mother hen act. “No, Alex, that’s not why I’m up. I’m fine.”  He swore Alexander’s fussing over his health would be the death of the other man. Too much caring about others and not enough about himself.

“I don’t want it getting worse,” Alexander frowned. He’d set down his quill by now and John placed his hand over his friend’s.

“Alex, I came down here to make sure you got enough sleep and stayed healthy, not so you could worry about me.” He sighed. “You work to much.”

“Well, I’m not working right now,” Alex said, rising to his feet. “I’m going to have a look at that wound of yours.”

“Alex!” John almost blushed. “You don’t have to.”

“We don’t want it getting infected,” Alexander said, rounding the desk so he was face to face with John. “Come on now, just a peek to make sure it’s alright.”

John looked into Alexander’s dark eyes, so full of passion and irresistibly stubborn.  He was still dressed in his olive coat and cravat, hair pulled back, glasses on, all business.  But underneath that he was the loving Alex with his gentle hands and strong arms and John gave in.

“Fine…” he submitted, allowing Alexander to lead him to the couch. “But you’re to go to bed straight after, deal?” he said, lying back on the cushions.

“Understood, sir,” Alexander teased, sitting next to him.  Lifting John’s night shirt, he carefully undid the bandage around the man’s waist.

John tried not to flinch as Alexander lifted the strips of cloth. It hurt a bit but he knew Alex was being as careful as he could so he bit his lip and tried not to move.

“Looks alright,” Alexander said after a moment, redoing the bandages.  He smiled and looked at the other man. “You’re cute when you do that.”

“When I do what?” John asked.

“Bite your lip,” Alexander answered and John fake slapped him.

“I’m biting my lip because your messing with a bullet hole in my side!” he said and Alexander chuckled.

“Sorry,” he said.  Leaning down, he softly kissed the spot right above the wound. “Better?”

John smiled. “Yes. But you kissed the bandage so I couldn’t really feel it.”

Alexander smirked. “Picky.” He bent down again, kissing the skin over John’s ribcage.  He pushed the shirt up until it was over John’s head, making a trail of kisses up to the man’s neck. “You’ve got so many freckles.”

A shiver went through John and he laughed. “Want to count them all?”

“Maybe.”  Alexander placed a tender kiss on his cheek then drew back, but only a fraction.  “Want to tell me the real reason you came down here?”

John met his eyes for a second, then looked away.   _‘Right…. The nightmare.’_ “I just saw you had the light on and wanted you to get some rest.  Can’t I care about your well-being?”

“Sure,” Alexander said, his breath tickling John’s cheek.  “It was another nightmare, wasn’t it?”

John turned his head, eyes pricking with tears. Damn…. he didn’t want to be weak.  But he was so tired…

“I haven’t slept in a week,” he whispered, “I’m terrified every night and this time it was worse than ever.”

“A week?” Alexander sat back, his tone concerned and dismayed at the same time.  “You should have told me!”

“You couldn’t do anything about it,” John sighed, sitting up.  “I just wanted to be near you for tonight, at least.”

“I’m here for you,” Alexander said, pulling John close and hugging him.  John closed his eyes, resting his head on Alex’s chest.  He was exhausted more than ever, and the other man’s heartbeat was soothing.

“You always tell me about stuff like this, alright?” Alexander said and John nodded wearily.  “Promise?”

“Ok…” All he wanted to do know was sleep peacefully in Alex’s arms, feeling the man run his fingers methodically through his hair.  “I promise…”

Alexander smiled softly at the whispered words and sat, quiet and still.  Soon enough John was asleep, as he’d expected.  He pressed his lips to the top of the other’s head. “If you need me to hold you as you sleep, just ask,” he said softly.

“No work I have could ever be more important than this.”


End file.
